My Story

Chixocol, where your child lives, is a very small village nestled in a mountain valley in the state of Quiché, Guatemala. Life in this state is very difficult. Most families live in one-room adobe houses with dirt floors and a small, attached kitchen. The extremely poor live in houses made of corn stalks. In the past few years, electricity and water have become available to most people in the area - however, indoor plumbing is very rare. Most of the families are farmers or shepherds and live off the fruits of their labors. Public education is available for those who can afford it and consider it of value.  Life in Quiché is always a challenge.

I cordially greet you with gratitude for giving me the opportunity to share a little bit of myself through this letter. My name is Daniel Jimon Gonzalez, and I am now 10 years old. My birthday will be on December 15. This year, I am in 4^th grade. In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer. My favorite color is blue and the animal that I like the most is the cat. I like to eat fried chicken. My father is Silverio Jimon Gomez, and he works as a shoemaker the most of the week. Some days he dedicates his time to work also as a farmer in his own crops. Sadly, my mother passed away four years ago due to cancer. My older sister Marta Angelica is in charge of us. She does the household chores and takes care of my siblings and me. At home, we have cows. Thank God, my father, siblings and I are well. We attend a Cristian Church called Prince of Peace.

We are a large family. I have nine siblings and three of them are part of the feeding program.  We live in our own house. There is one room and a separate kitchen. The house is made of adobe walls, tile roof and dirt floor. We have running water and electricity; my father pays these services. Our main need is groceries. I walk about 30 minutes to come to the feeding program. My older sister helped me to give my information.  It was a pleasure to greet you. I hope to hear from you soon.

With much love

Daniel Jimon Gonzalez

Translated by: Lucia Gravez/AAC Secretary